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I said I didn’t want to go, but it was just talk. I didn’t truly want to abandon the idea.

After all, he was a cook.

A cook who served Grand Wizard Catherine, no less.

He had to follow her all the way to Afterglow Fortress, perched at the northernmost tip of Iceland; could Catherine resist dragging him along from Kingsland?

Karem was sure of it.

When he asked, the response he got was a matter-of-fact “Of course.”

Naturally, he didn’t want to be separated from someone he cared about, either.

So, his task was to prepare food thoroughly for the upcoming spring, but there wasn’t much to do. Really.

This was entirely Mary’s fault.

Since she was still under discipline, he wasn’t allowed to touch Catherine’s meals or snacks. It might have been a reaction, but Mary wouldn’t even permit him to help pack any of his belongings.

Though it was much better than when he had received sudden notice last spring and floundered, Karem couldn’t even pack his own things because of that. At least he had handed over a list of food supplies to take along.

As spring approached, the castle began bustling again.

And on the day they were heading to Kingsland.

“Wow.”

Karem was in awe.

“Karem, what are you staring at?”

“There are… so many people.”

“Isn’t that to be expected?”

Mary’s nonchalant words, delivered with a bored expression, contained undeniable truth.

Last spring, even for a mere three-day trip to Obsidianberry, they had sent hundreds of people.

However, there was a significant difference between last spring and this spring.

This was far more than a three-day journey; it would take at least a month.

The destination was not deep within Iceland, but rather outside.

To Kingsland, the king’s territory.

The heart of the Kingdom of Seophone, the capital Bendleig.

Thus, the numbers of knights, squires, servants, workers, wizards, various wagons, carts, beasts, and livestock had far surpassed last spring’s caravan, and as adventurers and merchants joined in, they could hardly assemble in the open space of Winterhome.

So now they were huddled together outside Coldon’s outer castle, braving the fierce spring wind of Iceland, forming their caravan.

“I wish we could dispatch more people.”

A plump old man in priestly robes approached.

Elder Iona rubbed his beard, looking weary, with several thick parchment scrolls tucked under his arm.

“Well, can’t you just send more?”

“That’s what I’m complaining about.”

Iona rubbed the dark circles around his eyes and adjusted the scroll that was about to slip from under his arm.

“No matter how great a noble you are, moving any more soldiers than this would be inviting scrutiny. Especially when leading such a large army to other regions could be mistaken for rebellion.”

“Aren’t we escorting a duke?”

“Even so.”

Iona tiredly patted Karem’s shoulder, whose eyes were wide open in disbelief.

“Fortunately, the heir, the second in line, and the princess are following along, so it’s somewhat manageable.”

“So what you’re saying is that last spring’s number of troops was appropriate?”

“Exactly. Well, I need to be off to check the final items for the merchants we’ll be joining.”

Indeed, logistics were the hardest part.

Karem watched as Iona disappeared into a herd of cattle sporting straw capes, having found a place outside the castle.

“Have you finished your sightseeing?”

“Yes. That should suffice. Let’s head back to the wagon.”

“That might be best. More people are gathering outside the castle.”

“Please guide me. It’s quite crowded.”

“Just follow me.”

The time for the escort caravan to depart drew near, but the noise and heat from the gathered crowd outside the outer castle was deafening.

“I’m selling leather boots! Sturdy, well-dried leather boots for those about to embark on a long journey! Buy now, and you get three pairs of socks for free!”

“Beef jerky made from the genuine Fire Witch Finger that only a true man from Iceland can eat!”

“Hey, what happened to your helmet? Go buy one quickly while you can still plead nicely.”

There had been plenty of preparation time, but there were always those who didn’t get their goods ready or simply forgot—well, those folks were the targets of swindlers in the crowd.

For those heading out to earn money, negotiations and brawls had led to double or even five times the original price.

“All ranks, assemble! We will depart shortly!”

The duke’s caravan began to move.

*

*

*

As the wagons started moving, Karem felt a mix of emotions.

It wasn’t because he was leaving his home.

He hadn’t felt like this even when he had traveled for missions to the Subjugation Team, Obsidianberry port, or the northernmost Afterglow Fortress in Highland.

The reason was painfully obvious.

Kingsland, Moston Village.

Thinking of the wretched people and the miserable town that didn’t even deserve to be called parents made his teeth grind.

However, if it was right in front of him, he might have thought differently.

He had no intention of seeking out his anger.

Karem was confident that Moston Village had long since been destroyed. They had slipped away just as the town fell to a monster horde’s invasion.

He could care less if there were any survivors.

It had been a little over a year since he had left that village.

Unless he looked like the 11-year-old kid he had been then, he had now grown up due to the curse, barely reaching the edge of adolescence.

There were almost no remnants of the face he had shown in Moston Village, so no one would recognize him now. No, he wouldn’t even pass through Moston Village.

“So, how is the convoy supposed to go?”

“If everything went according to plan, we’d head south toward Borderster.”

Catherine tapped the map laid out on the wagon’s table with her finger. Each time she did, the large, ugly boot-shaped image of Seophone Island fluttered.

“Borderster is currently chaos due to the Undead.”

“Aren’t springtime undead a routine occurrence in Iceland?”

“Borderster is a king’s territory, just a city in the farthest northern part of Kingsland.”

“Hmm? So it isn’t a city in Iceland? Ah.”

It had been so long since he heard that that he briefly forgot.

Catherine, completing her corrections, drew a horizontal line with her finger from Coldon.

“So, the caravan will instead move along the coastline of Iceland, heading southward along the cliffs to reach Kingsland.”

“You know, it means we can get fresh seafood.”

“…Is that the only thing you’re curious about on such a long journey?”

“Yes.”

Karem was sincere to an alarming degree.

Of course, the duke’s estate wouldn’t be devoid of fresh seafood and dried fish, but it had been quite a while since he last indulged.

He wanted fresh seafood.

Catherine looked at Karem, whose appetite was burning, and shook her head, as if resolved to not entertain him.

“Don’t get your hopes up. You won’t see any freshly caught seafood until we enter the king’s territory.”

“Really? But you said we’re going along the coastline.”

Karem couldn’t comprehend.

The coastline meant they were right next to the sea.

So how could there be no fresh seafood? That seemed comparable to saying they couldn’t find trees in a forest or robbers in a city.

“Well, you’ll understand when you see it in person.”

*

*

*

It wasn’t until they took a break near the coastline that Karem could understand Catherine’s words.

“What’s this?”

“Waaah!”

Karem peered down over the edge with Alicia, who was also curious.

Despite the winter snow not fully melted, the grass boasted vibrant life, growing green even against the harsh sea winds and sprawling out like drops of ink on paper, only to abruptly end.

And beyond that, there lay a cliff.

A sheer cliff that must have been at least hundreds of meters high.

Below it, the waves ruthlessly battered the jagged rocks like hellish fangs.

Turning his head to the right, he saw the unforgiving cliffs extending beyond the horizon until they faded into the distance.

“But Karem, what are you doing here?”

“I thought I could find fresh seafood since we were near the coastline.”

“Alicia likes seafood.”

With eyes sparkling, Alicia peered down again, following Karem’s gaze towards the cliffs.

“…But it seems we don’t need to eat now.”

“True.”

This was no terrain where one could dream of fresh seafood.

Catching fish here would require either wings or an incredible distance away from the cliff.

Fishing at such a height was impossible; even obtaining a fishing line long enough was out of the question.

“I wanted fried fish.”

Alicia’s expression turned gloomy as Popins, slender and tall among the guards, came over and picked her up.

“Your Highness, there’s no need to be so disappointed. You can just eat another fried item. Right?”

Alicia’s eyes sparkled with anticipation.

Behind her, Popins watched with a gentle gaze.

The wordless pressure allowed no room for refusal.

“Well, Catherine said she would prepare snacks once we return, so preparing fried items would be fine too.”

“That’s what she said, Your Highness.”

“Alicia trusts Karem!”

Overjoyed, Alicia chirped with joy, and the guards couldn’t help but look kindly at her.

“Huh? Wait a minute.”

Alicia, who had been expressing her joy, suddenly turned to Karem.

“Karem.”

“Yes? Is there a particular fried food you have in mind?”

“Alicia wants sweet and sour—no.”

That sentence seemed to trigger the guards and Popins, who simultaneously turned their eyes to Karem.

In Winterhome, no one called Catherine by her name except her master, Olivier, or Alicia, who called her by a nickname as a friend.

Even Alfred, Catherine’s lord, called her by her title. But here, someone used her name?

Come to think of it, there were rumors that Sir Atanitas had raised a child of preference and turned her into a lover. While the guards whispered quietly, Alicia clapped her hands.

“They’re finally calling each other by name! When did that start?”

“Um, well, since the coming-of-age ceremony, we kind of managed to get permission.”

“Finally!”

Alicia raised a fist toward the sky, and Popins carefully took it down.

“By the way, Alicia remembers. After the banquet, those two didn’t appear at the ball.”

Karem flinched.

Did she catch on that there had been plenty of food then?

“I distinctly remember there was something similar in that warm novel Mom reads secretly. Those two must have snuck off for their private time!”

“…Cough. I won’t say a word.”

“Eek! That’s so unfair. Alicia is curious about all things between those two!”

“More to the point, do you have anything you want to eat? It’s getting near meal time.”

As soon as those words hit the air, Alicia began to seriously ponder while still snuggled in Popins’s arms.

Alright, I need to do whatever it takes to distract this troublesome girl.

“Hmm. Then let’s head to Sir Atanitas’s wagon.”

Though now it felt a bit too late.

A mere glance from Alicia’s guards and the tutor Baroness Popins was enough to lighten up the crowd.

‘…Forget it. I don’t care.’

Catherine said, after all.

It’s not like it’s something to hide.

It didn’t make a difference how many rumors spread about “unofficial couples” taking place, or how it turned into child predator accusations. More whispers wouldn’t matter.

Karem surrendered.

 

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